Bonner Education Association

President

Helena Association

Teacher

Board Memberships and Affiliations

Lifetime Member

Retired MEA-MFT

Here's how it started: MEA-MFT member Julie Foley taught fourth grade at Bonner School for years.She took special workshops and bought classroom supplies specifically for the fourth grade, investing a good deal of her own time and money over the years to become a great fourth grade teacher.

Then, five years ago, she heard an announcement at a staff meeting that the district's new superintendent planned to reassign her to teach fifth and sixth grade special education.

Foley was stunned.
So were three other Bonner teachers who heard at the same meeting that they were being transferred to different grades.

"I was happy teaching fourth grade," Foley said.

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"This is a victory for all teachers, for labor, and for students," said Foley.

Long-time MEA-MFT member-leader Julie Foley is retiring this year, after teaching for 34 years, mostly in Helena and Bonner.
She taught both special and regular education, kindergarten through 8th grade.

Julie also served as president of both the Helena and Bonner Education Associations.
In fact, she was helping a Bonner member with a grievance when we caught up with her for this interview:

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We expect Julie to stay involved in MEA-MFT as a retired member.
She's already a lifetime member of Retired MEA-MFT, having joined back in the ‘90s, long before she had retirement in her sights.
“It was a very wise investment,” she said.

"Julie has long served her students and school communities with distinction," said MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver.

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Thanks, Julie, for all you've done for Montana children, your colleagues, and MEA-MFT!

Julie Foley, a Bonner teacher who also serves as president of the local teachers union, is saddened by the recent resignations.

"These are two men who have always been supportive and good listeners who we could truly say we work with and not for," Foley said.

Foley said the board has yet to respond to their petition.She supports a change in administrative structure.

"The administrators should run the district.They have had the experience," she said."These guys are standing up for what they believe in and we are the ones who are losing for it ... and the kids," she said.